Fr. Sibley offers a few reflections on Martin Scorsese's film 'Silence'. This is not so much a review as a response to certain criticisms leveled against the film.
Scorcesse was actually a little light touch in depicting the hang upside torture. Those pits were always filled with sewage and rotting garbage, and usually the decaying bodies of animals and even prior martyrs. In one case, one of the canonized martyrs, a 16 year old Japanese girl hung upside down for an incredible horrific 14 days, never denying.the Faith.
Thank you Father for this video! I think you synthesized and verbalized exactly how I've felt about this film for a few years, now. I think I understand now that it is one of the most human movies I have ever seen. It's a movie that I still go back to and consider one of my favorites, though it's one I know not everyone will like, and I fully understand why others don't like it or are frustrated with it.
I think there is a more skeptical message to the story. A lot of people use Pascal's Wager to state that it is better to believe just in case and suggest that by not believing you are risking eternal punishment and damnation. This makes a lot of people who have lost their faith scared of the such results. I believe that Scorsese is depicting a similar feeling in the movie by placing a consideration that being wrong in the way you believe--or don't believe--in God doesn't carry such a terrible punishment. But, that's just me.
The laity showing more courageous faith than the priests. Priests' betrayal of Christ is shameful. The priests and laity who gave their lives for the Lord are the true martyrs. May God grace us with the same courage of the martyrs!
to me the movie is about perception, interpretation of different beliefs. xtian want to impose their belief to another with a different belief. like what ferrera told rodriguez, "the japanese dont see beyond the realm of nature."
Marco PELLEGRINI Because the film is not so martyr centric. This movie's purpose is to simply show suffering and doubt. It is about faith and how far people are willing to take that faith.
Thanks for your comment. I am very aware that he did not intend it to be anti-Christian. However, rightly or wrongly, many perceived it that way. It was at least upsetting for many Christians.
The novel, the Last Temptation of Christ, was supposed to show projections of people's ideals being imposed on Christ. For example, one moment he is a Marxist revolutionary, and another he's a radical pacifist. People have said these things about Christ. The takeaway was that Christ is a bit beyond the things we make him out to be. While Christ was a man, naturally he was tempted like a man, and these are the kinds of temptations that a man faces, the desire to be a radical revolutionary. I think it's clear and easy enough to see that this message is not anti-Catholic. The problem is if you show Christ acting out out his temptations, in his human imagination, people interpret this as a deliberate action, and not just inevitable human imagination. Also, arguably, even by just showing such actions, you can damage a person's imagination, vision of Christ, and prayer life. That effect, though not absolute, is still a real possibility.
I actually think the film was a bit more nuanced than your interpretation. Andrew Garfield's character had to make the intentional decision to publicly disavow Christianity, including the consequences that follow, being the destruction of the church in Japan because he will serve as a role model, though he will still privately still believe in Jesus. He makes the decision to save the lives of many innocent Japanese (obviously this in no way makes what Japan was doing right) ,but at the cost of the supernatural components of Christianity. The film tries to show Buddhism as a parallel to Christianity, except without the supernatural component of a God. Bhudda is not really a God, but simply gives the example of a way of life for people to follow, which the film points out. The Japanese government makes it clear they do not hate or even nessecarily disagree with Christianity, they simply want to halt the European influence that the church's existence in Japan would inevitablely cause. Now, the death of the innocent Japanese Christians is purly due to the free will of the Japanese government, and of course they are really responsible for the death of all of the people they have killed, not Garfield's charachters. But should we get hung up on how the Trinity works, stopping us from spreading Jesus's teaching of love and forgiveness. Tldr: But I think the movie wants to know if you would be willing to sacrifice the idea of a God, for Jesus's teachings of helping others.
Thanks for the comment Father, I'm not a catholic but I really agree with your point of view. I personally don't like Marty's movies always ends with some sort of confusion. But I have all watched some of his great movies like, Raging Bulls, The Last Tempt. of Christ, Good Fellas, Taxi Driver etc. And I very much thought from these movies that Marty is a guy who confounds between good and evil. Or Religiosity and humanity, or God's will and humanistic will. I also don't think though, Marty is Anti-religion. But through his artwork I can definitely see that he's effort on trying to have some sort of relationship with the religion, esp. Christianity. I say here RELIGION not the characteristics of God and Jesus Christ i.e. mercy, forgiveness, love etc. That's why I find his film pretty cold and very humanistic. I don't know whether he's to reconcile or criticize or simply find the religions interesting, I do not know. What my thoughts on movie "Silence" is that even if we physically step on Jesus picture or Bible with the feet and shout, I DENOUNCE MY RELIGION or burn the bible whatsoever, one simply cannot run out of God's everlasting love and His patience. Since it is true that we all failed God's commandment in all different ways, not just stepping on Jesus' face. BUT ABOVE ALL, WE ALL CRUCIFIED JESUS CHRIST ON THE CROSS, even then we couldn't escape from HIS LOVE. It is true that this movie is very Religious but when it comes down to one person's life(because any movies would want to have some sort of relationship with its audience by telling the inspiring story) being religious and being godly is two different thing. In extreme, you don't even need a religion to live a godly life.
I was listening intently until he brought up Kevin Smith's Dogma. It is not an Anti Christian film. You're just too closed minded to understand it. Unfortunately, I cannot take anything else you say as truth if you yourself cannot tell the difference between a Christian and an Anti Christian film. Kevin Smith is Catholic, and if you can't see the funny side of what it means to be Catholic, then maybe, you shouldn't be preaching.
Huberto Jardim “Dogma” is extremely anti-Catholic. Just because Kevin Smith is Catholic doesn’t mean he cares anything for the Faith, as is the case with most Hollywood Catholics. I refer you to Steven Greydanus’ review to see why the film is so vehemently opposed to the Church.
Peter denying Jesus was for the Good and part of God's plan. No one ever asks what would happen if Peter did not deny Jesus. This should never be compared to the story on the film. What we saw in the film is an 'anti-Church' film which attempts to merger Christianity away from the Church establishment to becoming a 'personal philosophy' of the individual. It's where East truly meets West. Today we have in false Christianity a 'personal relationship' Christianity which is outside of the Church (meaning it's not possible). It's the birth of the 'false Christian'. Amazingly 'Bible based Christians' seem to support the Japanese in all this. Yes of course - they are both working against the Church. BTW: In the 1600's there is *NO WAY* Priests would have eaten in that scenario without saying graces. They also call the Japanese elders 'inquisitors'. Nice choice of words. It's clearly anti-Church. Is Japan better off now without Christianity? One needs to look no further than the suicide rate. And lets never forget that the Nuclear Hiroshima attack was on among the oldest Christian strongholds in Japan. The planners of the attack were anti-Church Freemasons. See the TH-cam video called 'The Secret of Nagasaki'. He's an American in Japan who's also covered Akita. You need to realize, there's no such thing as 'anti-Christian', 'anti-Christ' etc because those are only 'labels'. In our *reality*, there is*ONLY* anti-Catholic Church and nothing else. Christ operates on earth through the hands of his literal kingdom on earth - the City of God. The 'gates' which you enter in by Christ. On the Last Day, sure the invisible body will ultimately matter most. But that is out of context for this discussion which is our present reality and a topic that gets too much attention. If Christ on earth manifests the Good, then so is the Church as a whole since Christ as come. Evil in reality is a 'spirit of denial' - it produces a 'perverse good' and is always changing. This 'pseudo-good' conflicts with the True Good and is *HOW* evil wages war against the Good. What I'm trying to say, is that those who deny the Catholic Church on earth, including her earthly things, is essentially denying Christ himself ('Saul, why do you persecute ME'). Jesus indeed considers HIMSELF to be the literal brick and mortar Church establishment on earth. He even calls Peter a rock and on this rock HE will build HIS Church. We also know he's the Cornerstone. He's a stone that the stone workers (aka MASONS) rejected. The spirit of doubt. All on earth that is Good is of the Catholic Church. All in earth that is evil, hold within them the 'spirit of doubt' which was likely passed on from those who author and spread that spirit which is another topic. When you are willing to die for your Faith, you have no doubt in you. I believe in the Catholic Church is the True Church to the point I'm willing to die for that Truth. That shouldn't sound like an extreme statement because we will all die through the gate of our choosing: "God willed that man should be left in the hand of his OWN COUNSEL [aka 'FREE CHOICE'] (cf. Sir 15:14), so that he might of his OWN ACCORD SEEK his creator and freely attain his full and blessed perfection by cleaving to him" (CCC:1743) (GS 17 § 1). Sirach 15:14-18 God in the beginning CREATED HUMAN BEINGS and made them subject to their OWN FREE CHOICE..placed before you FIRE (RED PILL) AND WATER (BLUE PILL); stretch out your hand for whichever YOU CHOOSE. Before each person are LIFE AND DEATH, and whichever one chooses WILL BE GIVEN. NOTE: To find the gate to salvation you must follow a path. That path leads to the doors/gate of the Catholic Church. The Gate is literally the front doors of the Catholic Church. Here you will find Christ in a literally as made evident by the many miracles. No where else can you find him outside the Catholic Church.
![ภาพนี้ก็ฮาเหมือนกันนะเนี้ย #2 SS8 [ พากย์นรก MEME.EXE ] | easy boy](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RMhUgxxD49Q/mqdefault.jpg)
Dear Fr. Bryce, thank you for this wonderful review. I hope you make more review videos. ; )
Scorcesse was actually a little light touch in depicting the hang upside torture. Those pits were always filled with sewage and rotting garbage, and usually the decaying bodies of animals and even prior martyrs.
In one case, one of the canonized martyrs, a 16 year old Japanese girl hung upside down for an incredible horrific 14 days, never denying.the Faith.
Thank you Father for this video! I think you synthesized and verbalized exactly how I've felt about this film for a few years, now. I think I understand now that it is one of the most human movies I have ever seen. It's a movie that I still go back to and consider one of my favorites, though it's one I know not everyone will like, and I fully understand why others don't like it or are frustrated with it.
just the perfect thing I wanted to hear about the movie to kill my apprehensions about it. Thank you Fr.
Shreyas Konaje
I think there is a more skeptical message to the story. A lot of people use Pascal's Wager to state that it is better to believe just in case and suggest that by not believing you are risking eternal punishment and damnation. This makes a lot of people who have lost their faith scared of the such results. I believe that Scorsese is depicting a similar feeling in the movie by placing a consideration that being wrong in the way you believe--or don't believe--in God doesn't carry such a terrible punishment. But, that's just me.
The laity showing more courageous faith than the priests. Priests' betrayal of Christ is shameful. The priests and laity who gave their lives for the Lord are the true martyrs. May God grace us with the same courage of the martyrs!
What a great and well articulated review. Thank you!
Viva Cristo Rey!
to me the movie is about perception, interpretation of different beliefs. xtian want to impose their belief to another with a different belief.
like what ferrera told rodriguez, "the japanese dont see beyond the realm of nature."
Finally a better review. Congratulations.
Good review, I do however completely disagree with him when he says that 'the last temptation of Christ" is anti Christian or anti Catholic.
right it just takes a look a jesus's human side and how he struggled with temptation just like us humans did.
It is, Father is spot on.
You have to have a pretty superficial understanding of faith to think Silence is a negative depiction of it.
Excellent.
the real question is " is this movie making people confused in their faith or not " . why not emphasizing more on the martyrs fthat on the apostasy?
Marco PELLEGRINI Because the film is not so martyr centric. This movie's purpose is to simply show suffering and doubt. It is about faith and how far people are willing to take that faith.
DerpMC so what? what people can get from that?
Marco PELLEGRINI Encourages faith.
Bullshit . It is about losing faith not keeping faith
@@marcopellegrini8752 ...and yet the main character keeps his faith throughout the whole ordeal, dying with Kokichi's cross in hand
Good movie about one man's journey. I cried a lot, watching this movie. Thank you for your honest review.
If you knew where Scorsese was coming from, you would know that TLTOC was not at all intended to be anti-christianity.
Thanks for your comment. I am very aware that he did not intend it to be anti-Christian. However, rightly or wrongly, many perceived it that way. It was at least upsetting for many Christians.
Everything he has done in his entire career has been blatant anti-Catholic bigotry, obvious to anyone who is not an anti-Catholic bigot.
Ed Baker Incorrect, Scorsese is a Catholic, although one who experiences much doubt.
How does being a Catholic preclude being an anti-Catholic bigot? Most Catholics are anti-Catholic bigots.
The novel, the Last Temptation of Christ, was supposed to show projections of people's ideals being imposed on Christ. For example, one moment he is a Marxist revolutionary, and another he's a radical pacifist. People have said these things about Christ. The takeaway was that Christ is a bit beyond the things we make him out to be. While Christ was a man, naturally he was tempted like a man, and these are the kinds of temptations that a man faces, the desire to be a radical revolutionary.
I think it's clear and easy enough to see that this message is not anti-Catholic. The problem is if you show Christ acting out out his temptations, in his human imagination, people interpret this as a deliberate action, and not just inevitable human imagination. Also, arguably, even by just showing such actions, you can damage a person's imagination, vision of Christ, and prayer life. That effect, though not absolute, is still a real possibility.
Read Chinmoku first... then watch the movie
Is Chinmoku the same name as Shusaku Endo?
@@supercoolbrian He is the author of the novel.
@@deusimperator As I understand it, Shusaku Endo was the author. Are Shusaku and Chinmoku the same person?
@@supercoolbrian Chinmoku is the title of the book in Japanese
@@deusimperator Ah, I see! I loved the book by the way.
I actually think the film was a bit more nuanced than your interpretation. Andrew Garfield's character had to make the intentional decision to publicly disavow Christianity, including the
consequences that follow, being the destruction of the church in Japan because he will serve as a role model, though he will still privately still believe in Jesus. He makes the decision to save the lives of many innocent Japanese (obviously this in no way makes what Japan was doing right) ,but at the cost of the supernatural components of Christianity. The film tries to show Buddhism as a parallel to Christianity, except without the supernatural component of a God.
Bhudda is not really a God, but simply gives the example of a way of life for people to follow, which the film points out. The Japanese government makes it clear they do not hate or even nessecarily disagree with Christianity, they simply want to halt the European influence that the church's existence in Japan would inevitablely cause. Now, the death of the innocent Japanese Christians is purly due to the free will of the Japanese government, and of course they are really responsible for the death of all of the people they have killed, not Garfield's charachters. But should we get hung up on how the Trinity works, stopping us from spreading Jesus's teaching of love and forgiveness.
Tldr: But I think the movie wants to know if you would be willing to sacrifice the idea of a God, for Jesus's teachings of helping others.
Thanks for the comment Father, I'm not a catholic but I really agree with your point of view.
I personally don't like Marty's movies always ends with some sort of confusion.
But I have all watched some of his great movies like, Raging Bulls, The Last Tempt. of Christ, Good Fellas, Taxi Driver etc. And I very much thought from these movies that Marty is a guy who confounds between good and evil. Or Religiosity and humanity, or God's will and humanistic will.
I also don't think though, Marty is Anti-religion. But through his artwork I can definitely see that he's effort on trying to have some sort of relationship with the religion, esp. Christianity. I say here RELIGION not the characteristics of God and Jesus Christ i.e. mercy, forgiveness, love etc. That's why I find his film pretty cold and very humanistic. I don't know whether he's to reconcile or criticize or simply find the religions interesting, I do not know.
What my thoughts on movie "Silence" is that even if we physically step on Jesus picture or Bible with the feet and shout, I DENOUNCE MY RELIGION or burn the bible whatsoever, one simply cannot run out of God's everlasting love and His patience. Since it is true that we all failed God's commandment in all different ways, not just stepping on Jesus' face.
BUT ABOVE ALL, WE ALL CRUCIFIED JESUS CHRIST ON THE CROSS, even then we couldn't escape from HIS LOVE.
It is true that this movie is very Religious but when it comes down to one person's life(because any movies would want to have some sort of relationship with its audience by telling the inspiring story) being religious and being godly is two different thing. In extreme, you don't even need a religion to live a godly life.
Wow! Very well said
I was listening intently until he brought up Kevin Smith's Dogma. It is not an Anti Christian film. You're just too closed minded to understand it. Unfortunately, I cannot take anything else you say as truth if you yourself cannot tell the difference between a Christian and an Anti Christian film. Kevin Smith is Catholic, and if you can't see the funny side of what it means to be Catholic, then maybe, you shouldn't be preaching.
Huberto Jardim “Dogma” is extremely anti-Catholic. Just because Kevin Smith is Catholic doesn’t mean he cares anything for the Faith, as is the case with most Hollywood Catholics. I refer you to Steven Greydanus’ review to see why the film is so vehemently opposed to the Church.
Dogma was produced by Miramax (Weinstein Brothers).
you're wearing all-black too, are you trying to lure me away from my faith??
Peter denying Jesus was for the Good and part of God's plan. No one ever asks what would happen if Peter did not deny Jesus. This should never be compared to the story on the film. What we saw in the film is an 'anti-Church' film which attempts to merger Christianity away from the Church establishment to becoming a 'personal philosophy' of the individual. It's where East truly meets West. Today we have in false Christianity a 'personal relationship' Christianity which is outside of the Church (meaning it's not possible). It's the birth of the 'false Christian'. Amazingly 'Bible based Christians' seem to support the Japanese in all this. Yes of course - they are both working against the Church.
BTW: In the 1600's there is *NO WAY* Priests would have eaten in that scenario without saying graces. They also call the Japanese elders 'inquisitors'. Nice choice of words. It's clearly anti-Church.
Is Japan better off now without Christianity? One needs to look no further than the suicide rate. And lets never forget that the Nuclear Hiroshima attack was on among the oldest Christian strongholds in Japan. The planners of the attack were anti-Church Freemasons. See the TH-cam video called 'The Secret of Nagasaki'. He's an American in Japan who's also covered Akita.
You need to realize, there's no such thing as 'anti-Christian', 'anti-Christ' etc because those are only 'labels'. In our *reality*, there is*ONLY* anti-Catholic Church and nothing else. Christ operates on earth through the hands of his literal kingdom on earth - the City of God. The 'gates' which you enter in by Christ. On the Last Day, sure the invisible body will ultimately matter most. But that is out of context for this discussion which is our present reality and a topic that gets too much attention.
If Christ on earth manifests the Good, then so is the Church as a whole since Christ as come. Evil in reality is a 'spirit of denial' - it produces a 'perverse good' and is always changing. This 'pseudo-good' conflicts with the True Good and is *HOW* evil wages war against the Good.
What I'm trying to say, is that those who deny the Catholic Church on earth, including her earthly things, is essentially denying Christ himself ('Saul, why do you persecute ME'). Jesus indeed considers HIMSELF to be the literal brick and mortar Church establishment on earth. He even calls Peter a rock and on this rock HE will build HIS Church. We also know he's the Cornerstone. He's a stone that the stone workers (aka MASONS) rejected. The spirit of doubt.
All on earth that is Good is of the Catholic Church. All in earth that is evil, hold within them the 'spirit of doubt' which was likely passed on from those who author and spread that spirit which is another topic. When you are willing to die for your Faith, you have no doubt in you.
I believe in the Catholic Church is the True Church to the point I'm willing to die for that Truth. That shouldn't sound like an extreme statement because we will all die through the gate of our choosing:
"God willed that man should be left in the hand of his OWN COUNSEL [aka 'FREE CHOICE'] (cf. Sir 15:14), so that he might of his OWN ACCORD SEEK his creator and freely attain his full and blessed perfection by cleaving to him" (CCC:1743) (GS 17 § 1).
Sirach 15:14-18 God in the beginning CREATED HUMAN BEINGS and made them subject to their OWN FREE CHOICE..placed before you FIRE (RED PILL) AND WATER (BLUE PILL); stretch out your hand for whichever YOU CHOOSE. Before each person are LIFE AND DEATH, and whichever one chooses WILL BE GIVEN.
NOTE: To find the gate to salvation you must follow a path. That path leads to the doors/gate of the Catholic Church. The Gate is literally the front doors of the Catholic Church. Here you will find Christ in a literally as made evident by the many miracles. No where else can you find him outside the Catholic Church.
Geez, you are passionate.
another priest more interested in "making friends" with secularists rather than seeking Jesus's Truth..
The decadence of the Church